David Thiselton

The first big event of this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July happens tomorrow i.e. the announcement of the entries which were closed on Monday.

Years ending with the number four have always seemed to attract dramatic or significant renewals of the great race.

The first renewal ending in four was 1904 and the race was won by the biggest outsider up until then, the 33/1 shot Nymagee (Splendour), who was the first of four Australian-bred horses to have won the July. The others are Chere Amie in 1905, the great Igugu in 2011 and The Conglomerate in 2016. Nymagee was trained by W. Meredith, owned by S Brooks and ridden by W Clements. The 1904 renewal was the first to be run with the Drill Hall present. The land had been given to the trustees of the Durban Light Infantry regiment by the Durban Town Council in appreciation of their services in the Anglo Boer War and the complex was officially opened on May 24, 1904.

The 1914 renewal was run with war looming. New buildings on course included a new grandstand and offices, a Tote, a dining room below the secretary’s office and a weighing room and jockeys room in a separate building. However, a record crowd attended and the buildings, spacious for normal meetings, were quite inadequate to accommodate the crush. The race was won by the SA-bred three-year-old Rhanleigh, trained by WL Randall, owned by Sir G Farrar and ridden by R Dine. Rhanleigh Wines, which is still flourishing today, is named after the July winner.

In 1924 the winner Oriel, a British-bred five-year-old, was intermittently lame throughout his career and his trainer Ernie Ryan could often be seen in the early mornings at the track massaging his legs. It was this one of the most romantic victory’s in the history of the race as it was only due to Ryan’s exceptional care that the horse even got to the start let alone won. He was ridden by J Lievaux and owned by Messrs Deane and Hollis.

In 1934 the winner Sun Tor came in off the back of a layoff of 161 days and no horse since has come off a longer layoff to win the race. The British-bred five-year-old was trained by J Angles, owned by P Sussman and ridden by A Rugg.

In 1944 the winning jockey Harry Berry had a bad fall a few days before the race in which he broke a rib and sprained both thumbs and a wrist. He had finished second in the race in 1931 and 1934 and finally broke his duck by riding Moneith to victory, despite being in great pain. The winner was a British-bred seven-year-old trained by CB Clutterbuck and owned by A Wayne. He gave the British-based sire Montrose the first of four wins in the July, two of them being by Milesia Pride.

In 1954 Dennis Labistour trained his second July winner, three-year-old colt C’Est Si Bon, who was by the 1941 July winner Sadri II. He spoilt the hopes of many that the great King’s Pact would win, but the three-year-old filly’s welter burden of 54,5kg proved too much. Both of Labistour’s July winners were part-owned, together with himself, by writer Molly Reynolds, who later wrote a book about the July. Labistour’s other July claim to fame is he flew the aeroplane in 1931 that flew July spectators in from east London, the first known instance of people flying in to watch the big race.

 In 1964 Numeral, trained by George Azzie and ridden by Raymond Rhodes, beat Top Gallant. The latter was a half-brother to the immortal Sea Cottage. Numeral was owned by the American businessman Charles Englehard, one of the world’s biggest owners whose horses included the great English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky and also the South African legend Hawaii.

The 1974 renewal was one of the most dramatic in history because the jockey of second favourite Jamaican Music, Tom Rattley, fell off between the start and the Drill Hall. The George Azzie-trained Riboville, despite odds of 20/1, remains the easiest winner in July history, winning by 4,5 lengths from rank outsider Pedlar. Riboville gave Dennis and Peggy Mosenthal an unexpected July winner at last after years of trying, including a controversial second by their horse Radlington in 1952. They had expected to win the 1974 July with the Azzie-trained favourite Elevation, who finished fourth.

In 1984 Terrance Millard had his second of six July winners with the English imported mare Devon Air, who was spotted by still active Durban bloodstock agent Andy Williams and purchased on behalf of the Scott Brothers Des and Robin. The powerful mare gave jockey Felix Coetzee the first of three July wins.

There was controversy in 1994 when Surfing Home veered across the likely winner Pas De Quoi twice in the straight. Surfing Home crossed the line first with Pas De Quoi only fifth, but the objection was upheld and the race was awarded to the Ricky Maingard-trained Space Walk, ridden by Robbie Fradd and owned by D Cohen and Sons. Maingard was the last KZN-based trainer to win the July.        

The 2004 renewal coincided with ten years of democracy in SA and the number ten horse, Greys Inn, thus carried the South African flag on his saddle cloth. He duly won, giving trainer Mike de Kock a second of five July wins and jockey Antony Delpech a second of four July wins. Greys Inn was owned and bred by Bridget Oppenheimer, one of six July wins she had as an owner and one of five as a breeder (she owned and bred together with husband Harry until his passing in 2000).

The 2014 July was the first renewal on the narrowed track and a controversial objection saw trainer Justin Snaith landing his second of five July wins and Richard Fourie landing the first of three July victories. Legislate was the son of the great 2003 winner Dynasty and he was owned by Jack Mitchell, Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud and Gail and Dennis Evans of Newbury Racing.

Graeme Hawkins

Pick 6 players have found the going really tough at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth recently and today’s race meeting at the Cape Town track again includes a number of very challenging races, particularly the last two events on the 8-race programme. Bankers are at a premium but perhaps our choices for the sixth race, a Progress Plate over 1400m, can be narrowed to Port Louis and Coastal Commander, who share favouritism in the ante-post market.

In receipt of 6kgs from Port Louis, my slight preference lies with Coastal Commander but he has not raced since finishing fourth in the 2000m SplashOut Cape Derby (Gr 1) two months ago, whereas Port Louis’ current form is strong and his fitness levels not in question. Prior to the Derby, Coastal Commander ran second in the richly-endowed Gold Rush over 1600m and it’s quite possible that 1400m may be on the sharp side for the son of Lancaster Bomber these days, but off bottom weight he does make plenty of appeal.

Port Louis was a good second behind Rascallion in the recent Variety Club Mile but he is equally at home over this trip and from a handy draw should make a bold bid for top honours. He has not won a race for 442 days but his form is solid and the 4yo son of Gimmethegreenlight is overdue his fourth career victory. His stable companions, Zil Moris and Zoomie, are not entirely without winning chances but Richard Fourie’s strike rate for Brett Crawford is impressive by any standard and Port Louis could be the pick of Crawford’s trio.

The first race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1400m, could turn out to be a match between Dixieland Band and Babelicious. With the advantage of a better draw and the services of Fourie, I am leaning towards Dixieland Band but both must be included in the opening leg of the Bipot. Pentolina can show marked improvement from her debut run and may be considered for larger permutations.

Justin Snaith sends out the very well-bred debutante, Bela Vista, in the second race, a Maiden Plate (F&M) over 1100m, and she has been priced up favourite in the early market exchanges. She comes up against the older and more experienced Tequila Sky, who has finished runner-up in her last three starts and is well overdue a visit to the winner’s enclosure. Pink Moon would have needed her last run after a lengthy break and has plenty of scope for improvement.

The opening leg of the Pick 6, a Maiden Plate over 1600m, could go the way of the fast-improving Amancio. The son of Silvano was narrowly behind Etoilefillante two months ago but that was only Amancio’s second start and he can turn the tables here. Etoilefillante rates an obvious threat along with Daimyo and Azzuri and, to a lesser extent, Prince of Tibet.

The fourth race is an Open Maiden over 1800m and the race is ripe for an upset result. Early favourite, Kwite A King, has been withdrawn and in his absence I fancy the chances of long-time maiden, Lockheedlightning, as an each way selection. Apache Chief’s last run can be safely ignored and Eric Sands’ runner will go better here, while of Nocturnal Flight, Juan Les Pins and Red Rackham are capable of winning this modest contest.

The fifth race is a low grade Class 5 Handicap (F&M) over 1400m which sees a re-match between Grandiosa and Veronique. At the weights there should be little to choose between the pair while Fly To Rio can never be discarded in this type of race. The maiden Ticking Bomb is an interesting runner but her form suggests she could be competitive. United We Stand and Little Miss Pink have some claims and must be respected. Veronique is my narrow first choice but she will need to reproduce her best form to come out on top.

The seventh race, a Middle Stakes (F&M) over 1100m is extremely competitive and punters will need to cast their nets as wide as possible. Southern Skies may be worth an each-way flutter but without much confidence as most of the 11-strong field rate winning chances.

The eighth race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1100m with an average merit rating of 60, is another very difficult race with the potential to produce a “bomb” result. Wordsworth has been placed in his last three outings and should go well again but he is just a two-time winner from 52 starts – a clear indication of his limitations. Why Not Jackie won well three weeks ago but has never been the most consistent filly around and Whiskey Bravo can progress further after showing some improvement in his most recent start. Not an easy end to the race meeting!

RACE 1

2 DIXIELAND BAND and 12 BABELICIOUS faced off over 1200m with the latter beating the former by 0,5 length. Both stepping up in trip to 1400m for the first time it will be interesting to see how they adapt to the trip but there is a slight preference for Dixieland Band to revers the form. 13 DARLING GIRL showed good improvement over 1400m against older company in her last start and should continue that trend here now that she’s back in a juvenile plate. 1 RUBY CLAIRE is another runner who is dropping back to racing against her same age group and has tried the 1400m before. (Devon Pretorius: 2-12-13-1)

RACE 2

Half the field is made up of 2YO debutantes so one must respect any betting support for the first timers. However, of the raced runners, 2 TEQUILLA SKY has finished runner up in her last three starts and is well overdue for a win. Her biggest danger is 9 GIMMETHELIMELIGHT who returns after a break but might be in need of this run. 4 PINK MOON is lightly raced and ran a good race after a lengthy break. She’ll strip fitter here and is capable of a big run (Devon Pretorius: 2-9-4-3)

RACE 3

1 DAIMYO as well as 7 ETOILEFILLANTE have both finished second in their last two starts and should fight this one out. The stronger formlines certainly lie with DAIMYO and from pole position, there should be no excuses here. 4 PRINCE OF TIBET is never far off the action and stepping back up in trip again, he should finish a lot closer. 3 AMANCIO caught the eye in his second start over 1400m. However, there hasn’t been a lot of betting support in his starts which is a slight concern. (Devon Pretorius: 1-7-4-3)

RACE 4

Open maidens are never easy to assess but there was a lot of talk about 3 APACHE CHIEF in his last start but the saddle slipped early in the race and was never able to recover. Ignore that run and a chance is taken on him to win here. 10 KWITE A KING and 12 LOCKHEEDLIGHTNING are consistent and never far off the action and should be in contention once again. 11 POINTDEXTER; 9 FRENCH TRIP and 8 RED RACKHAM are runners that can’t be ignored (Devon Pretorius: 3-10-12-11)

RACE 5

4 VERONIQUE reopposes with a few runners such as 3 GRANDIOSA and 11 United We Stand and based on the weight turnarounds, Veronique is the best off from that last formline and with the jockey booking of Richard Fourie, she should go very close to winning. Grandiosa can follow up after only a three point penalty for her win. 2 TICKING BOMB is a maiden taking on winners but she has raced against stronger and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her win. 6 LITTLE MISS PINK; 9 YOUREYESONLY and 10 CLOUD CHASER must be respect in bigger permutations (Devon Pretorius: 4-3-2-9)

RACE 6

2 PORT LOUIS finished 2nd in the Variety Club Mile G3 in his last start behind Rascallion and was unlucky not to have finished closer. He looks hard to beat here. Stable companions 6 ZIL MORIS and 7 ZOOMIE finished 2nd and 3rd in the Eastern Cape Guineas and should be involved in the placings with the best weighted horse in the race 8 COASTAL COMMANDER (Devon Pretorius: 2-6-7-8)

RACE 7

4 KYTHERA quickened up smartly in her last start and won in a comfortable fashion. She’s one of the best weighted in the race and should give another good account of herself. 11 ONI SAN looks like a good each way bet. She last ran in a G3 which is best ignored but finished second in her penultimate start. She is also well weighted here and could start at good odds. 7 MISS MARGUERITE was one paced in her last start and is better than that effort. 9 KINKY BOOTS is having her third run after a lengthy break and there looks like there is more to come from her. (Devon Pretorius: 4-11-7-9)

RACE 8

12 WORDSWORTH has finished third in his last three starts and brings the best form into the race. Jockey Richard Fourie has been engaged for the ride and must be a lively contender. 8 WHISKEY BRAVO looked really well in his last start and finished off his race in an eye catching manner. 6 WYLIE JACK hasn’t been far off in recent starts and should be finishing off strongly. 7 SEEKING PEACE won her penultimate start and should bounce back after a disappointing run last time out (Devon Pretorius: 12-8-6-7)

Soccer1 on Friday, 26 April 2024, C/Over R5000, Pool Closes at 20h00, Sport 22 and Pool 1, Estimated Pool: R 15 000.

Soccer4 on Friday, 26 April  2024, ADD-IN R 25 000, Pool Closes at 19h30, Sport 18 and Pool 1, Estimated Pool: R 100 000.

RUGBY 8 WIN MARGIN on Saturday, 27 April  2024, C/Over R 59 943. Pool Closes at 14h00 Sport 65

The Independent on Saturday race day at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday, 4 May will get South Africa’s Champion Season off to a cracking start judged by the quality of entries for the three feature races.

The R500 000 Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes is one of the first warm-up races for the R5 Million Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July and is supported by the R500 000 Gr2 World Sports Betting Guineas and the R500 000 Gr2 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas. 

SplashOut Cape Derby winner Green With Envy and Highveld star, Sandringham Summit are both entered in the IOS Drill Halls Stakes but the pair have drawn wide which could see rather run in the Gr2 WSB Guineas where both have drawn better gates but will be up against recent Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Main Defender. Should all three stand their ground in the Guineas it will make for a mouthwatering contest, a race not to be missed. 

Also nominated in the Drill Hall is former Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and L’Ormarins Queens Plate winner Al Muthana. At My Command along with former Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes winner Cousin Casey are possible July contenders. Cousin Casey lost his way a little but is now showing signs of a return to his best form.

Standout in the Gr 2 WSB Fillies Guineas is recent Gr3 Umzimkulu Stakes and Gr3 Prix Du Cap winner Double Grand Slam who put up a cracking display in both races which will have the opposition pondering their chances should Justin Snaith’s filly stand her ground. But she faces course and distance winner Mrs Geriatrix who is showing signs of returning to her best form after finishing third in the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes behind the unbeaten Gimme A Nother. Rascova was third in the Umzimkulu Stakes and second to the star mare Princess Calla in the Gr1 Majorca Stakes, when beating Double Grand Slam. She should also improve on her KZN debut. 

R 500,000 INDEPENDENT ON SATURDAY DRILL HALL STAKES (Grade 2)-1400m

Horses at Weight-For-Age + Penalties

WFA: 2yrs-11.0kgs 3yrs-2.0kgs 

5 COSMIC HIGHWAY     (5G) 58.5 121   Dean Kannemeyer    

9 GLADATORIAN        (4G) 58.5 120   Stuart Ferrie      

4 MAIN DEFENDER      (3G) 58.0 131   Tony Peter        

17 SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT (3C) 58.0 123   David Nieuwenhuizen 

18 GREEN WITH ENVY    (3C) 58.0 119   Dean Kannemeyer    

15 AL MUTHANA (AUS)   (6G) 57.0 125   Ricky Maingard     

 2 ROYAL AUSSIE       (4G) 57.0 124   Justin Snaith      

 3 COUSIN CASEY       (4C) 57.0 123   Sean Tarry         

10 AT MY COMMAND      (4G) 57.0 119   Brett Crawford     

19 WATERBERRY LANE    (5G) 57.0 112   Ricky Maingard     

 6 UNZEN              (4G) 57.0 109   Robbie Sage       

 8 ITSRAININGWILLIAM  (4G) 57.0 108   Justin Snaith      

 7 TEXAS RED          (4G) 57.0 104   Robyn Klaasen      

11 HUMDINGER          (5M) 56.0 116   Mike de Kock       

14 MID WINTER WIND    (3G) 55.0 114   Sean Tarry         

12 GIMMEANOTHERCHANCE (3G) 55.0 111   Mike de Kock       

13 ZINOVI             (3C) 55.0 108   Mike de Kock       

 1 TEFLON MAN         (3C) 55.0  99   Dean Kannemeyer    

16 WHITE PEARL        (3F) 52.5 112   Mike de Kock       

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R 500,000 WORLD SPORTS BETTING FILLIES GUINEAS (Grade 2)- 1600m

For 3 year-old Fillies

5 DOUBLE GRAND SLAM  (3F) 60.0 118   Justin Snaith      

 8 MRS GERIATRIX      (3F) 60.0 115 H Sean Tarry         

 4 RASCOVA            (3F) 60.0 115   Glen Kotzen        

 1 LET’S GO NOW       (3F) 60.0 114 B Sean Tarry         

 2 WHITE PEARL        (3F) 60.0 112   Mike de Kock       

 6 MINOGUE            (3F) 60.0 102   Wendy Whitehead    

 9 SOLDIER’S EYE      (3F) 60.0  98   Weiho Marwing      

 7 SOVEREIGN GRANT    (3F) 60.0  98   Michael Miller     

 3 BOMBER GIRL        (3F) 60.0  97   Michael Miller     

12 CELTIC BEAUTY      (3F) 60.0  94   Tony Rivalland     

11 CEUTA              (3F) 60.0  81   David Nieuwenhuizen 

10 MISS PLATINA       (3F) 60.0  75   Tienie Prinsloo    

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R500 000 WORLD SPORTS BETTING GUINEAS (Grade 2)- 1600m

For 3 year-olds

5 MAIN DEFENDER      (3G) 60.0 131   Tony Peter        

 6 SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT (3C) 60.0 123   David Nieuwenhuizen 

10 SNOW PILOT         (3C) 60.0 120   Justin Snaith      

 8 GREEN WITH ENVY    (3C) 60.0 119   Dean Kannemeyer    

13 LUCKY LAD          (3C) 60.0 119   Sean Tarry         

11 MID WINTER WIND    (3G) 60.0 114   Sean Tarry         

 1 ORIENTAL CHARM     (3C) 60.0 113   Brett Crawford     

 4 GIMMEANOTHERCHANCE (3G) 60.0 111   Mike de Kock       

 2 HLUHLUWE           (3G) 60.0 111   Justin Snaith      

 9 BARBARESCO         (3G) 60.0 109   J A Janse van Vuur 

 3 ZINOVI             (3C) 60.0 108   Mike de Kock       

12 NAVAJO NATION      (3G) 60.0 103   Robbie Hill        

 7 ANCIENT WORLD      (3G) 60.0  92   Michael Miller     

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